Charlottesville Tomorrow News Editor Elliott Robinson took part in a virtual town hall conversation hosted by Urban-Rural Action, an organization “which brings people together across geographic, political and racial divides to build relationships, explore different perspectives, and tackle issues that impact all communities.” The town hall conversation, held on Wednesday, February 24, addressed questions regarding the information needs around COVID-19. Questions tackled included, “How do you get and share local information about COVID-19?” and “What voices are missing in the conversation?”
“COVID-19 has put an immense strain on people and businesses. Journalism, which already was reeling in many places, was not immune,” wrote Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Elliott Robinson. “Caroline County lost its newspaper of record before the pandemic, and the panel used it as a backdrop to share the importance of getting people accurate information about the coronavirus and also gave us the opportunity to share ideas on how best to do that.”
A wide range of community members, including journalists, public officials, business leaders, health officials, avid news consumers, and concerned citizens took part in the conversation. The 90-minute virtual event will soon be available to a broader audience through a podcast called Areas of Agreement.
